


We Won't Forget

by hAlf2442



Category: Steven Universe (Cartoon)
Genre: Alternate Ending, Alternate Universe, Angst, basically when the injector blows up, things dont go so swell
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-25
Updated: 2019-10-25
Packaged: 2021-01-03 08:49:25
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,525
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21176672
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hAlf2442/pseuds/hAlf2442
Summary: Adrenaline kicked in as Steven reached for her again, the light now surrounding them as Steven called out to the Gem. The last thing he saw from her was her gently kicking him away and attempting to run.





	We Won't Forget

"I used to be _ just not good enough, _ _ just not good enough _ for Pink but now - _ now _ ...!" a giant fist raised into the air over Steven, his eyes widening as he lifted his shield and prepared for the impact, " _ I'M NOT GOOD AT ALL! _ " A loud shattering noise split through the air as the fist came down on Steven, cracks erupting from under the boy as the ground around him shook. He flinched while looking over at the Gem, who now weakly pounded against the shield, tears streaming down her face as she let out a pitiful laugh. Spinel sniffled, "That's funny, r-right..? At least _ you _ found me entertaining. You actually liked me, didn't _ you _..?"  
She shook on her knees, leaning against the pink shield as she sobbed, slowly rising while looking at her hands. "_What am I doing_..?" It was barely loud enough for the hybrid boy to hear, a concerned expression plastered on his face. "Why do I want to hurt you _so bad- _I'm supposed to be a _friend_..." The Gem let out a whimper, looking down at the boy with glossy eyes, "_I just want to be your_ **_friend_**..." A pang of sadness hit Steven while looking at the broken Gem, slowly lowering his shield as she flinched and quickly crawled away.  
Steven looked at her with a sad smile, opening his mouth to speak, before a bright light attacked his eyes. _The Injector._ Spinel looked around in utter fear, eyes darting to the boy and the device she brought to destroy the planet they inhabited. Steven's first instinct was to grab Spinel and protect her, but she flinched away from his grasp. His eyes darted away from the light of the Injector to see Spinel staring at him with wide eyes full of tears. She looked like a scared child, a deer caught in headlights.  
Adrenaline kicked in as Steven reached for her again, the light now surrounding them as Steven called out to the Gem. The last thing he saw from her was her gently kicking him away and attempting to run.  
His heart was pounding, ears ringing, and a _ deep _ sinking feeling in his stomach. Spinel wasn't with him. Steven's eyes darted around quickly at the smoke around him, barely processing that he was swiftly hurtling to the ground while in his bubble. The boy's eyes widened, it was too late to stop the bubble now. He hugged himself and braced for impact.  
The bubble popped almost immediately after he landed, skipping Steven a bit before he finally settled on his stomach. Everything hurt. He let out a groan that gradually shifted into a sigh, wanting nothing more than to just lay right there and rest. But wait- "Spinel!" Steven hollered, hastily getting up. The Gem was nowhere in sight. The gem-hybrid crouched, jumping into the air to get a better look at his surroundings. "_ Spinel! _" He shouted once more, looking around the broad crater her Injector caused.  
Still, no Spinel. _ Nothing _ . "Steven!" a familiar voice yells. The boy looks down at the ground to spot Lion running around, with Connie on his back. " _ Steven! _" She calls once more, "Where are you?"  
"Connie! Up here!" Steven yells, descending nearby. A wide smile spreads on her face as she sprints over to Steven, giving him a big hug. "We saw that huge explosion, and-"  
"I- I'm... okay. What about you?"  
She gives him a worried look, but sighs. "I'm fine."  
A large force hits his shoulder as he looks over to see Lion rubbing against him, "Lion!" he chuckled, gently petting the creature. "Were you worried about me?"  
"Sure seems that way." Connie pipes up. Her eyes travel for a bit, still giggling at the big cat's antics. And all expression is wiped from her face--  
A van nearly crashes itself into the crater, the Gems jumping out after it lands. "_ Steven _!" they all yell happily as he races over, giving all of them a hug. "Guys! Dad!" he laughs, "Is everyone from Beach City okay?"  
"Everyone is safe and accounted for," Garnet gives him a thumbs up with a small smile etching its way on her face. The boy looked relieved, spotting Connie wandering off. He was about to say something before seeing his father's arm, blackened and withered. "Dad, your arm-"  
"Hey, I just got a little careless and-" Steven smiles, walking over and taking Greg's hand in his own, "Don't worry. You'll be good as new in no time." With that, Steven kissed the back of Greg's hand and a small pinkish glow dimmed on the man's arm before returning it to its former glory. "Steven, you got your powers back!" Greg mused, moving his fingers and stretching the healed arm.  
Amethyst just smirked, "It'd be cool if you could do that to like, the whole planet." She gave out a weak chuckle, which made Steven smile wider, "Amethyst, that's not a bad idea!" The purple Gem almost looked disgusted, "Dude, I was joking!" she groaned. But, too late. Steven rolled up his sleeves and kissed the dried dirt beneath him, a beautiful lush buttercup following him with green grass growing around it.  
The boy had stars in his eyes, looking around the crater and humming to himself. "Looks like I gotta lot of kissin' to... do..." he trailed off, eyes locking with Connie as she walked over with something in her hands. She seemed tense, sad-- and scared. "Connie?" he got up, gently placing a hand on the girl's arm to comfort her. "What's wrong?"  
She didn't need to do anything more than reveal what she had in the palm of her hand. Steven froze, quickly sucking in air. "No..." he breathed out and shakily reached for the shard in her hand. The other Gem's eyes widened, with Pearl putting her hands together and placing them on her chest. It was a small, pink shard. It glittered excellently in the sunlight. "This- this can't be... It has to be from the Injector, _ right _?" he questioned, bringing a hand up to run through his curly hair.  
"R-right..?" The Gems and Greg all exchanged glances towards each other, each of them nodding as they approached Steven. His brows furrowed, visibly shaking and attempting to hug himself as the empty feeling in his gut wouldn't subside. _ I-- failed her... I was going to help her find a new friend, teach her to be happy again... _Tears pricked the sides of his eyes, staring down at the shard in his hand. She didn't survive the explosion.  
And just _ thinking _ of that made his body ache. Stars, what pain she must have gone through... He gripped the shard in his hand, not even noticing as everyone crowded around the crying boy and began to hug him. He knew it wasn't his job to help every one his Mom hurt but _ stars _ if it didn't hurt to know that _ he failed _ someone ** _ himself _ ** ... To have not have saved her when he could, _ if he just tried _ _ harder _... Maybe she would still be alive. Maybe she would have found peace.

Months had passed since the Injector had arrived to Earth, the town now refixed and back to its former glory. Steven hummed, a bouquet in his hands which held a mix of daffodils, forget-me-nots, and gladiolus. The white light around him dissipated, and he was transported to a lively plot of land in the middle of space.  
It was filled with flowers of different sorts- hibiscus, forget-me-nots, red spider lilies, although those weren't as prominent anymore as the hydrangeas, statice, amaryllis, and a few alstroemerias. After they found the Gem shard and Steven had calmed down, he told the Gems what Pink Diamond had done to Spinel. About how she left her on the Garden, waiting perfectly still, for more than 6,000 years.  
Later, they agreed to restore the Garden in remembrance of Spinel. They told those of Beach City what happened, and they seemed ecstatic to help out. The citizens never seemed to hold grudges for very long.  
Steven inhaled a small bit, stiffly getting off of the Warp Pad and heading down to a small shrine placed in front of a fountain. "Hey, Spinel." Steven breathed. They had collected as many shards of hers as they could find, almost completing the upside-down heart at the front of the fountain. "I found another shard of yours," he mumbled happily, taking the piece out of his jacket to gently place it in the middle of the heart. It fit perfectly.  
That crooked smile of his slowly turned into a frown as he let out a sigh. He still partially blamed himself for what happened, but he knew it wasn't his fault. He knew it wasn't his job to save everyone his mother hurt... And now he knew, not everyone could be saved.  
"Don't worry, Spinel," he whispered out and set the bouquet he held next to the gem shards. "We won't forget about you so easily." And this time, he let out a genuine, yet sad, smile down towards the shattered remains. With that, he turned and left the restored Garden.

**Author's Note:**

> Okay so I actually low-key hate this but oh well lmao
> 
> Thank you for reading, any and all criticism is appreciated. ^^


End file.
